So-called Kosciuszko Inn in Krakow. The turbulent history of a historical site

The theme of this article is the history of the inn known as the Kosciuszko Inn - the former country inn now located within the boundaries of Krakow. Built in 1752, it used to belong to the historical complex of Krakow bishops’ mansion buildings in Bialy Pradnik. Together with the opposite building, it is one of the few remaining elements of the impressive Late Baroque mansion project. The building survived until the 20th century without any major alterations, preserving its 18th-century-style architectural shape. After World War II, its fate was typical of historical sites in the People’s Republic of Poland. Confiscated from private owners, it was used for residential purposes and gradually fell into decline. The building’s condition temporarily improved after the major restoration that took place between 1951 and 1953. Some of the elements and details of the original style, lost over the centuries, were restored. Since 1970s, it had been planned to once again overhaul the building and adapt it to new functions, but the plans never materialised. In 2000, the vacated and devastated building burnt down. Before the fire, the building’s new owner had obtained approval for the concept of the overhaul and adaptation, but he failed to take any further actions. Neither did he comply with the order to secure the building after the fire. Given the situation, at the initiative of the Historic Preservation Unit of the Krakow City Office, the site was expropriated by the gmina. The legal basis for administrative actions was Article 37.1 of the Cultural Heritage Protection Act of 15 February 1962. Expropriation by the gmina enabled reconstruction of the destroyed historical building in 2006. Unfortunately, due to the high degree of destruction of the stone walls, it was decided to dismantle them almost entirely and reconstruct using new materials (only the middle part of the front wall was left). The site, even though devoid of most of its original substance, was restored to the landscape and, what is important, still plays the role of a vital component of the historical complex of palace buildings. The exterior architectural shape and details were reconstructed to resemble those of the original 18th century building. Inside, a part of the former layout was preserved, while the rest of the building was adapted to suit the new functions. Currently, the building is used by the District Cultural Centre